I know I read something on this, but I don't remember what. I called Catherine to ask some questions about Henna (caught them at dinner, so I think that is one reason the conversation was so short.) She said for my BSL hair average thickness, I would need 200g of Henna and 200g of Indigo. That seems like alot, and based on whatever it was that I read, I would need 200 TOTAL! I don't mean to sound negative, but could she just be "doing business"? Just wondering what you guys would suggest. ( I actually thought about buying 200 of each and saving it for nexttime - assuming I like it and want to do it again.) I am really having to watch money right now, but I really want to henna.

The last time I hennaed I used 100gms henna & 100 gms indigo. Once mixed with their respective liquids, and than mixed together, this was enough to cover my shoulder length, average thickness hair with a small amount leftover.

I guess it would also depend on if you're are going to henna first, than indigo, or mix them together right before application.

But, unlike some other ladies, I am not very good at making it stretch, I really glop it on.

*edited for spelling

There's a recommendation on one of the sites of 100 grams for every 12" of hair, so that would sort of match what you were told. It's been my experience, though, that that amount will be way too much if your hair is an ii, and I also think 200 total will be enough. The difference could be in how thick or thin one makes the paste(I like it thinner than "yogurt") as well as erring on the generous side so people don't have half their hair covered with henna and run out.

If you were going to use just henna, I would recommend doing a gloss to make the process more economical, but I don't know if indigo works in a gloss.

I use only 50 grams of henna. Though I do add some ginger and nettles. A tablespoon or two each.

I have used henna so often that I don't worry about coating every single strand. I just slap it on.

I used 100 grams for a while in the beginning.

200 grams sounds like way too much.

Prairiechild

I use 100gms for my entire head and even have some left over to gloss if I want! I also mix the henna with yogurt to stretch it out more. Some people say that you dont get the full color that way but I dont agree as you can see from my picture that its a nice even red tint.

I'm at waist, lower end of ii-thickness (probably about 2.5" around - haven't measured in a while). I mix 200 grams for an overall application and usually have left-overs that I freeze and save up for another batch. Left-overs from 3-4 henna sessions is usually enough for another full all-over application.

Those of you who end up with henna leftovers, do you apply it with a brush? I basically just glop on the whole quantity and make sure all of my hair is well covered. Last time I used about 250g on my just-past-shoulder layered length.

My mix is also rather thick, because I don't like runny henna dripping down my neck... I suppose I should really try a gel mix, but is that freezable?

I apply with a mix of hands and brush. Hands for working it into most of the scalp and length. Brush for taking care of the hairline front and back.

My henna mix is usually somewhere in between - very softly whipped cream or thicker yoghurt is what I aim for. Runny enough to easily work into the hair, thick enough to not run everywhere. Gel mix is definitely freezable - I've done that when I used the pectin mix. With body art quality I find that the gel mix isn't really necessary as the consistency of a pure henna mix is good enough when it's as finely ground as the body art quality is.

Gel mix is definitely freezable - I've done that when I used the pectin mix. With body art quality I find that the gel mix isn't really necessary as the consistency of a pure henna mix is good enough when it's as finely ground as the body art quality is.

Thank you very much. I'm very happy with the consistency of my mix (hmm, I don't think I've updated my journal with my BAQ henna experience yet), I was thinking of adding pectin in order to make it more economical.

it all depends on how thick your hair is. mine is fine but below bra strap. i use 200 total. when i used yogurt i could get away with 100 but i also found i wasn't getting good color on my hair (dye release was there but it wouldn't move onto my hair!). so it's all an expirament - sit back and enjoy the ride. and i always buy more than i need it and freeze it in case i have a late night urge!

Thanks everyone. I might go ahead and order 200 of each and I will have some left over. Still thinking about this though. 400 total just seems like overkill.

I'm confused... are you planning to do single-process for purplish red (mix 'em together and apply), or double-process for black (mix & apply henna, rinse out, mix & apply indigo)? My hair is thin and BSL, and I wouldn't bet on full coverage with only 100 grams each if you're doing the latter.

I mix my cassia to yogurt consistency and apply it using a squirt bottle to get it all the way to the roots... like ember, I'm pretty generous with it.

esme - I am planning to mix em together for a burgandy effect (I hope).

I use my leftovers for touchups - I henna around my face, then squish what's left on my hair, then scrape the bowl with my nails and put gloves on.

If you freeze leftovers of a mix that contains indigo, the indigo won't work when it's thawed. So I've read on H4H, though I've never tried indigo.

I use a color applicator bottle that I have cut the tip off to make a larger opening. I would say that my mix is like thick cake batter - definitely pourable. I also apply the mix to dry hair, and it sticks so well that I've never had a drip yet.:grin:

After using Light Mountain Henna tonight, I definately think 100g of each is plenty. I used 110g tonight, and it really wasn't quite enough, but I definately think 200 total will be plenty. Thanks for all your replies. I guess this is a good reason for trying something cheaper first. (It only cost me about $3 cause it was on sale.)